Longitudinal Microbiome Changes in Supragingival Biofilm Transcriptomes Induced by Orthodontics

INTRODUCTION

Common oral diseases are known to be associated with dysbiotic shifts in the supragingival microbiome, yet most oral microbiome associations with clinical end points emanate from cross-sectional studies. Orthodontic treatment is an elective procedure that can be exploited to prospectively examine clinically relevant longitudinal changes in the composition and function of the supragingival microbiome.

METHODS

A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among 24 adolescent orthodontic patients who underwent saliva and plaque sampling and clinical examinations at time points: before fixed appliance bonding and at 1, 6, and 12 wk thereafter. Clinical indices included bleeding on probing (BOP), mean gingival index (GI), probing depths (PDs), and plaque index (PI). To study the biologically (i.e., transcriptionally) active microbial communities, RNA was extracted from plaque and saliva for RNA sequencing and microbiome bioinformatics analysis. Longitudinal changes in microbiome beta diversity were examined using PERMANOVA tests, and the relative abundance of microbial taxa was measured using Kruskal-Wallis tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and negative binomial and zero-inflated mixed models.

RESULTS

Clinical measures of oral health deteriorated over time-the proportion of sites with GI and PI ≥1 increased by over 70% between prebonding and 12 wk postbonding while the proportion of sites with PD ≥4 mm increased 2.5-fold. Streptococcus sanguinis, a health-associated species that antagonizes cariogenic pathogens, showed a lasting decrease in relative abundance during orthodontic treatment. Contrarily, caries- and periodontal disease-associated taxa, including Selenomonas sputigena, Leptotrichia wadei, and Lachnoanaerobaculum saburreum, increased in abundance after bonding. Relative abundances of Stomatobaculum longum and Mogibacterium diversum in prebonding saliva predicted elevated BOP 12 wk postbonding, whereas Neisseria subflava was associated with lower BOP.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers insights into longitudinal community and species-specific changes in the supragingival microbiome transcriptome during fixed orthodontic treatment, advancing our understanding of microbial dysbioses and identifying targets of future health-promoting clinical investigations.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

Bonding braces was associated with subsequent changes in the oral microbiome characterized by increases in disease-associated species, decreases in health-associated species, and worsened clinical measures of oral health.

A double-blind, 377-subject randomized study identifies Ruminococcus, Coprococcus, Christensenella, and Collinsella as long-term potential key players in the modulation of the gut microbiome of lactose intolerant individuals by galacto-oligosaccharides

Background. Our recent publication (Chey et al., Nutrients 2020) showed that a 30-day administration of pure galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) significantly reduced symptoms and altered the fecal microbiome in patients with lactose intolerance (LI). Results. In this addendum, we performed an in-depth analysis of the fecal microbiome of the 377 LI patients randomized to one of two GOS doses (Low, 10-15 grams/day or High, 15-20 grams/day), or placebo in a multi-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons was done on GOS or placebo groups at weeks zero (baseline), four (end of treatment), nine, 16 and 22. Taxa impacted by treatment and subsequent dairy consumption included lactose-fermenting species of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Streptococcus. Increased secondary fermentation microorganisms included Coprococcus and Ruminococcus species, Blautia producta, and Methanobrevibacterium. Finally, tertiary fermenters that use acetate to generate butyrate were also increased, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia faecis, and C. eutactus. Conclusions. Results confirmed and expanded data on GOS microbiome modulation in LI individuals. Microbiome analysis at 16 and 22 weeks after treatment further suggested relatively long-term benefits when individuals continued consumption of dairy products.

Critical care usage after major gastrointestinal and liver surgery: a prospective, multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND

Patient selection for critical care admission must balance patient safety with optimal resource allocation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between critical care admission, and postoperative mortality after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients enrolled in the DISCOVER study from UK and Republic of Ireland undergoing major gastrointestinal and liver surgery between October and December 2014. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore associations between critical care admission (planned and unplanned) and mortality, and inter-centre variation in critical care admission after emergency laparotomy.

RESULTS

Of 4529 patients included, 37.8% (n=1713) underwent planned critical care admissions from theatre. Some 3.1% (n=86/2816) admitted to ward-level care subsequently underwent unplanned critical care admission. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.9% (n=133/4519), and the risk-adjusted association between 30-day mortality and critical care admission was higher in unplanned [odds ratio (OR): 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.51-19.97) than planned admissions (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43-3.85). Some 26.7% of patients (n=1210/4529) underwent emergency laparotomies. After adjustment, 49.3% (95% CI: 46.8-51.9%, P<0.001) were predicted to have planned critical care admissions, with 7% (n=10/145) of centres outside the 95% CI.

CONCLUSIONS

After risk adjustment, no 30-day survival benefit was identified for either planned or unplanned postoperative admissions to critical care within this cohort. This likely represents appropriate admission of the highest-risk patients. Planned admissions in selected, intermediate-risk patients may present a strategy to mitigate the risk of unplanned admission. Substantial inter-centre variation exists in planned critical care admissions after emergency laparotomies.

Transition to school for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

AIM

To identify factors that promote a positive start to school for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

METHODS

Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, and PsychINFO searches were conducted to identify literature published after 1991 and relevant to school transition processes in children with ASD. Twenty studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. These studies evaluated a range of factors including school readiness, parent and teacher perspectives on transition practices, characteristics of children with ASD that are associated with successful transition to school and the impact of school based intervention programs.

RESULTS

A review of these studies showed that children with ASD are less school ready emotionally than their peers and those children with ASD appear to have more externalising behaviours and self-regulation difficulties that affect their school engagement and their relationships with their teachers. There was a paucity of research looking at interventions targeting school readiness. However, school-based behavioural interventions appear to improve cognitive, language and daily living skills, but have less impact on socialisation and peer inclusion.

CONCLUSION

Children with ASD face more challenges transitioning to school, particularly with social interaction. Further development and implementation of specific school-based interventions is needed in order to assist children with autism to maximise their success in starting school.

Developing the radiation protection safety culture in the UK

In the UK, as elsewhere, there is potential to improve how radiological challenges are addressed through improvement in, or development of, a strong radiation protection (RP) safety culture. In preliminary work in the UK, two areas have been identified as having a strong influence on UK society: the healthcare and nuclear industry sectors. Each has specific challenges, but with many overlapping common factors. Other sectors will benefit from further consideration.In order to make meaningful comparisons between these two principal sectors, this paper is primarily concerned with cultural aspects of RP in the working environment and occupational exposures rather than patient doses.The healthcare sector delivers a large collective dose to patients each year, particularly for diagnostic purposes, which continues to increase. Although patient dose is not the focus, it must be recognised that collective patient dose is inevitably linked to collective occupational exposure, especially in interventional procedures.The nuclear industry faces major challenges as work moves from operations to decommissioning on many sites. This involves restarting work in the plants responsible for the much higher radiation doses of the 1960/70s, but also performing tasks that are considerably more difficult and hazardous than those original performed in these plants.Factors which influence RP safety culture in the workplace are examined, and proposals are considered for a series of actions that may lead to an improvement in RP culture with an associated reduction in dose in many work areas. These actions include methods to improve knowledge and awareness of radiation safety, plus ways to influence management and colleagues in the workplace. The exchange of knowledge about safety culture between the nuclear industry and medical areas may act to develop RP culture in both sectors, and have a wider impact in other sectors where exposures to ionising radiations can occur.

The effect of increased overjet on the magnitude and reproducibility of smiling in adult females

The objective of this study was to determine if increased overjet (greater than 6 mm) influences the magnitude and reproducibility of natural smile and maximal smile in Caucasian adult females. Twenty adult females with an increased overjet (6-10 mm) and 20 control adult females (overjet 2-4 mm) with no history of orthodontic treatment volunteered to participate. The mean age in the control group was 30.1 ± 6.4 years and the mean age in the test group was 31.9 ± 10.8 years. Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetric images were captured of each subject for three expressions: at rest, natural smile, and maximal smile. The images were recorded twice on two separate occasions, 6 weeks apart. Images were landmarked and a partial ordinary Procrustes superimposition was used to adjust for the differences in head posture between the same expressions. The magnitude of movement relative to the rest position, averaged over all the landmarks, was calculated and compared between the groups using analysis of variance (linear mixed-effects model); the intra- and inter-session reproducibility of both expressions was assessed. There was greater mean movement, averaged over all the landmarks, in the control group than in the increased overjet group for both natural smile and maximal smile (P = 0.0068). For these expressions, there were no statistically significant differences in reproducibility within sessions (P = 0.5403) or between sessions (P = 0.3665). Increased overjet had a statistically significant effect on the magnitude of smiling but did not influence the reproducibility of natural or maximal smile relative to controls.

Search for effects beyond the born approximation in polarization transfer observables in e(over→)p elastic scattering

Intensive theoretical and experimental efforts over the past decade have aimed at explaining the discrepancy between data for the proton electric to magnetic form factor ratio, G(E)/G(M), obtained separately from cross section and polarization transfer measurements. One possible explanation for this difference is a two-photon-exchange contribution. In an effort to search for effects beyond the one-photon-exchange or Born approximation, we report measurements of polarization transfer observables in the elastic H(e[over →],e(')p[over →]) reaction for three different beam energies at a Q(2)=2.5  GeV(2), spanning a wide range of the kinematic parameter ε. The ratio R, which equals μ(p)G(E)/G(M) in the Born approximation, is found to be independent of ε at the 1.5% level. The ε dependence of the longitudinal polarization transfer component P(ℓ) shows an enhancement of (2.3±0.6)% relative to the Born approximation at large ε.

Recoil polarization measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio to Q2 = 8.5 GeV2

Among the most fundamental observables of nucleon structure, electromagnetic form factors are a crucial benchmark for modern calculations describing the strong interaction dynamics of the nucleon's quark constituents; indeed, recent proton data have attracted intense theoretical interest. In this Letter, we report new measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio using the recoil polarization method, at momentum transfers Q2=5.2, 6.7, and 8.5  GeV2. By extending the range of Q2 for which G(E)(p) is accurately determined by more than 50%, these measurements will provide significant constraints on models of nucleon structure in the nonperturbative regime.

Changes in drug use and HIV/AIDS risk-taking 1989-90

The Australian National AIDS and Injecting Drug Use Study was designed to monitor the risk behaviour of Australian injecting drug users (IDUs) in a number of major cities, and to estimate the seroprevalence of those interviewed. Differences in risk behaviour found across 2 years in Perth are reported. One hundred and ninety-six Perth IDUs were interviewed in 1989, and 150 in 1990 using the same survey questionnaire, with a small cohort of 38 respondents being followed up across the 2 years.Significant injecting differences between 1989 and 1990 in both the cohort and independent samples were found. In general, these amounted to a greater likelihood that a new needle and syringe would be used on each injecting occasion, and a greater use of bleach in 1990 than in 1989. The most common response of respondents who said they had changed their drug use behaviour in 1990 was to report ceasing to share needles, while the most common response in 1989 was reduced sharing. There was an increased use of condoms for vaginal intercourse with all partners in both studies across the 2 years. Seropositivity for all new cases across the 2 years was 1.75%. It is apparent that there has been a significant shift in risky behaviour in the direction of greater safety across the 2 years. There is also objective corroborative evidence in increased demand for sterile injecting equipment sold through pharmacists, although there is no evidence that drug use increased significantly during the same period. It is concluded that the availability of sterile needles and syringes should be maintained and improved and that emphasis should be placed on encouraging safer sexual behaviour among IDUs.

The Primary Care Electronic Library: RSS feeds using SNOMED-CT indexing for dynamic content delivery

BACKGROUND

Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds are a method for disseminating and syndicating the contents of a website using extensible mark-up language (XML). The Primary Care Electronic Library (PCEL) distributes recent additions to the site in the form of an RSS feed. When new resources are added to PCEL, they are manually assigned medical subject headings (MeSH terms), which are then automatically mapped to SNOMED-CT terms using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus. The library is thus searchable using MeSH or SNOMED-CT. Our syndicate partner wished to have remote access to PCEL coronary heart disease (CHD) information resources based on SNOMED-CT search terms.

OBJECTIVE

To pilot the supply of relevant information resources in response to clinically coded requests, using RSS syndication for transmission between web servers.

METHOD

Our syndicate partner provided a list of CHD SNOMED-CT terms to its end-users, a list which was coded according to UMLS specifications. When the end-user requested relevant information resources, this request was relayed from our syndicate partner's web server to the PCEL web server. The relevant resources were retrieved from the PCEL MySQL database. This database is accessed using a server side scripting language (PHP), which enables the production of dynamic RSS feeds on the basis of Source Asserted Identifiers (CODEs) contained in UMLS.

RESULTS

Retrieving resources using SNOMED-CT terms using syndication can be used to build a functioning application. The process from request to display of syndicated resources took less than one second.

CONCLUSION

The results of the pilot illustrate that it is possible to exchange data between servers using RSS syndication. This method could be utilised dynamically to supply digital library resources to a clinical system with SNOMED-CT data used as the standard of reference.

The differential diagnosis of foot lumps: 101 cases treated surgically in North Glasgow over 4 years

INTRODUCTION

There are a wide variety of different lesions which present as lumps of the foot. There have been very few studies which look at the presenting characteristics or the differential diagnosis of such lesions.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients who underwent excision or biopsy of a foot lump over a period of 4 years were studied in order to determine patient demographics, presenting characteristics, diagnoses encountered and to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the surgeon.

RESULTS

In total, 101 patients were identified. Average age was 47.3 years (range, 14-79 years); there was a marked female preponderance with 73 females and 28 males. Thirty different histological types were identified; ganglion cysts were the most commonly encountered lesions and there was only one malignant lesion encountered in this study. Only 58 out of the 101 lumps were correctly diagnosed prior to surgery. Certain lesions were more commonly encountered in specific zones of the foot.

CONCLUSIONS

We have shown that there are a wide variety of potential diagnoses which have to be considered when examining a patient with a foot lump. There is a low diagnostic accuracy for foot lumps and, therefore, surgical excision and histological diagnosis should be sought if there is any uncertainty.

Should Pre-operative Troponin be a Standard Requirement in Patients Undergoing Major Lower Extremity Amputation?

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to ascertain the benefit of routine pre-operative cardiac troponin I (cTnI) measurement in patients undergoing major lower extremity amputation for critical limb ischaemia.

DESIGN

This was a prospective, blinded observational study.

METHODS

All patients scheduled for lower extremity amputation, without evidence of unstable coronary artery disease were recruited prospectively over a period of 1 year. In addition to routine pre-operative evaluation, a blood sample was taken for measurement of serum cTnI. Post-operative screening was conducted for cardiac events with patients followed up to 6 weeks.

RESULTS

Ten of the 44 patients included suffered a non-fatal myocardial infarction or died from a cardiac cause post-operatively. A rise in pre-operative cTnI was associated with a very poor outcome (two cardiac deaths and one post-operative myocardial infarction) and was the only significant predictor of post-operative cardiac events.

CONCLUSION

Routine pre-operative cTnI measurement may be of use to identify patients at high risk of cardiac complication who would benefit from optimization of cardiac status or in whom surgery could be deferred.

DHPLC Analysis of patients with Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome reveals novelPTCHmissense mutations in the sterol-sensing domain

Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by multiple basal cell carcinomas, palmar and plantar pitting, odontogenic keratocysts of the jaws and bilamellar calcification of the falx. Mutations in the PTCH gene are responsible for NBCCS but most studies have found mutations in less than half of the cases tested. We used denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) to screen for PTCH mutations in 28 NBCCS cases, most of whom had been previously evaluated by single stranded conformation polymorphism analysis but found to be negative. Protein truncating (n = 10) and missense or indel (n = 4) mutations were found in 14/28 (50%) cases and one additional case carried an unclassified variant, c.2777G>C. Thirteen of the variants were novel. The mutation frequency was similar in inherited and de novo cases. Three of the missense and indel mutations were in the sterol-sensing domain, and one was in the sixth transmembrane domain.

97 ASSESSMENT OF VIABILITY OF IN VITRO PRODUCED BOVINE EMBRYOS FOLLOWING VITRIFICATION BY CVM OR SLOW FREEZING WITH ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND TRIPLE TRANSFER

Vitrification has become the method of choice for the preservation of in vitro derived embryos of a number of species, and several methods of vitrification have been developed. One such method, the cryoLogic vitrification method (CVM) yields high survival rates of warmed embryos (Lindemans W et al. 2004 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 16, 174 abst). In this study, the post-warm viability of bovine IVP embryos following either vitrification using CVM or slow freezing using ethylene glycol (EG) was compared. In addition, the survival of embryos following triple transfer to synchronized recipients was measured and the embryo (“e”) and recipient (“r”) contributions to embryo survival was determined using the “er” model for embryo survival (McMillan WH et al. 1998 Theriogenology 50, 1053–1070). Bovine IVP methods were those of van Wagtendonk et al. 2004 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 16, 214 (abst). On day 7 of culture (Day 0 = IVF), Grade 1 and 2 embryos that had reached at least the late morula stage were selected for vitrification (20% DMSO, 20% ethylene glycol) or freezing in 1.5 M ethylene glycol + 0.1 M sucrose (0.5°C/min to −35°C). Following storage in LN2 for at least 24 h the embryos were thawed, the cryoprotectant removed, and the embryos cultured for 72 h in mSOF medium under 5% CO2, 7% O2, 88% N2. The number of hatching embryos was recorded at 24-h intervals. In addition, blastocyst and expanded blastocyst embryos were thawed and immediately transferred nonsurgically to recipients (three embryos of the same grade to each recipient) on Day 7 of a synchronized cycle (Day 0 = heat). The recipients were ultrasound-scanned for the presence of, and number of, fetuses on Days 35 and 62, respectively. The invitro assessment of 148 CVM and 230 EG frozen embryos indicated that more vitrified than EG embryos hatched by 72 h (73% vs. 62%; CVM vs. EG, χ2 = 4.5, P < 0.05). Overall, more Grade 1 embryos hatched than Grade 2 (74% vs. 60%, χ2 = 7.2, P < 0.01). CVM embryos (105) were triple-transferred to 35 recipients, and EG embryos (30) were triple-transferred to 10 recipients. Recipient pregnancy rates at Day 62 were 80% and 70%, respectively. Overall embryo survival was 38.5% (41% for CVM and 30% for EG). The overall calculated “e” and “r” values were 0.39 and 1.0 (“e”: 0.42 and 1.0, and “r”: 0.31 and 1.0, respectively, CVM and EG groups). Survival rates of CVM embryos to Day 62 (41%) were slightly lower than that previously obtained for fresh embryos produced using an identical IVP procedure (44% – van Wagtendonk AM 2004).

152 IN VITRO AND IN VIVO DEVELOPMENT OF BOVINE IVP EMBRYOS FOLLOWING SINGLE-CELL BIOPSY ON DAY 4

Maximum advantage can be gained from gene discovery programs, by screening embryos carrying the desired genes(s) prior to immediate transfer. This requires an efficient and reliable genotyping system and a method for biopsy preparation that does not compromise subsequent embryo or fetal development. The present study examined the effect of removing a single-cell from the developing 8–16 cell embryo on its subsequent ability to continue development to at least the late morula stage in vitro and then survive following triple transfer to recipients. Abattoir-sourced ovaries were obtained and subjected to IVP as previously described (van Wagtendonk-De Leeuw AM et al. 2004 Reprod. Fert. Dev. 16, 214 abst). Briefly, oocytes were matured in TCM199 +10% FCS, 10 μg/mL FSH, 10 μg/mL LH, 1 μg/mL estradiol, and 100 μM cysteamine under 5% CO2 in air at 38.5°C for 24 h. Percoll-separated sperm (1 × 106/mL) were then co-incubated with the matured oocytes (Day 0) for 24 h with the presumptive zygotes further cultured in mSOF medium under 5%CO2, 7% O2, 88% N2. On Day 4 embryos with a minimum of 8 cells were selected and held at 38.5°C in HEPES-buffered SOF (HSOF) until biopsy at ambient temperature. Embryo biopsy was performed in HSOF medium + 5 μg/mL cytochalasin B. A single cell was removed using a 30 μm biopsy pipette. Both biopsied and control embryos were then further cultured in mSOF in individual wells prepared in a 1% agarose matrix (Peura TT 2003 Cloning Stem Cells 5, 13–24). Embryos were scored for grade and stage of development reached on Day 7, and Grades 1 and 2 blastocysts and expanded blastocysts were transferred to synchronized recipients (three embryos of the same stage and grade to each recipient; n = 50). Fetal number was determined on Day 35 and 62 of gestation. A model for embryo survival was fitted to the data (McMillan WH et al. 1998 Theriogenology 50, 1053–1070) in order to estimate embryo (“e”) and recipient (“r”) contributions to embryo survival. Values were then compared to those determined for control embryos, produced using identical IVP methods (van Wagtendonk-De Leeuw AM et al. 2004 Reprod. Fert. Dev. 16, 214 abst). A total of 358 control and 561 biopsied embryos were cultured. Removal of a single cell did not significantly affect in vitro development (60.1% vs. 56.0%; control vs. biopsy). Day 35 survival of biopsied embryos was 44.7% with calculated “e” and “r” values of 0.48 and 0.94, respectively, which did not differ from control values (44.1%; 0.50 and 0.89). However, by Day 62 fetal survival had significantly decreased with a concomitant drop in “e” but not “r” (30.0%; 0.32 and 0.94, respectively; control “e” and “r” were unchanged). In conclusion, single-cell biopsy of the 8–16-cell embryo does not affect in vitro development or embryo survival to Day 35. However, significant fetal loss occurs by Day 62 that may limit commercial application. Further work is required to elucidate the cause of and overcome fetal loss.

283ASSESSMENT OF CALVES PRODUCED BY IVP IN A SEMI-DEFINED MEDIUM

Heavy birth weight, increased calving difficulty, heart function defects, increased perinatal mortality and organ immaturity have been reported for calves produced from IVP embryos compared to those produced from MOET or AI (van Wagtendonk AM et al., 2000 Theriogenology 53, 575–597; Jacobsen H et al., 2002 Anim Reprod Sci 70, 1–11). In this study we examined birth weight (BWT), and blood chemistry at 1 day of age, gestation length and heart function at 7 days, and response to an ACTH challenge at 21 days of calves derived from IVP in a ‘semi-defined’ IVC system (Thompson JG et al., 2000 J. Reprod. Fertil. 118, 47–55) and of contemporary MOET or AI calves. Holstein Friesian (HF) 2- and 3-year-old recipients carrying single HF calves (101×IVP and 21×MOET) were monitored in this study. Within 1 day of birth the calves were weighed and a blood sample taken for analysis. At 7d, ultrasound measurement of the left ventricle diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and % ejection fraction (EF%) was determined. Each calf was then transported to a rearing unit. At 3 weeks of age, 30 IVP and 30 control AI calves of the same age were injected i.v. with Synacthen (synthetic ACTH, Ciba Corporation, 0.1μgkg−1 body weight). Blood samples were collected at −30, 0, 30, 60 and 90min (0min=time of injection) for cortisol measurements. There was no difference in BWT for MOET or IVP calves (40.9±4.7 v. 35.6±4.8kg, respectively). Moreover, gestation lengths (279 days v. 281 days) and calving assistance scores (1.3 v. 1.6) did not differ. Calf mortality at birth was higher for IVP calves (16%) than for MOET calves (5%). All but 7 surviving calves (6×IVP and 1×MOET) had high GGT levels at 1 day. Blood chemistry revealed no differences between the calf types, all measures being within normal ranges. For all calves, heart function analysis revealed no abnormalities with mean LVEDd=4.1±0.6cm and mean EF%=78.5±8.4%. All calves exhibited elevated cortisol following ACTH challenge. There was no difference between control and IVP calves for mean cortisol concentration at any time point (0min, 13.8±5.2; 30min, 46.6±9.8; 60min, 42.8±9.9; 90min, 28.1±8.9ngmL−1). These data suggest that, unlike calves produced in less defined culture systems, calves produced by IVP in a semi-defined culture system have birth weight and gestation lengths similar to those of MOET calves. Moreover, no abnormalities in organ (heart, adrenal) function were detected. However, of concern was the high number of unexplained deaths for IVP calves. This may be due to an overall lack of vigour in IVP calves that, in an unsupervised calving, results in calf death. More vigilence at calving may be needed to ensure calf survival. The authors thank Juliet Jensen, Waikato Hospital, for ultrasound measurements and David Stewart, Morrinsville Veterinary Services, for calf care. This study was funded by Vialactia Biosciences and FRST.